Rous Elleg

When Judy posted these pics under the blog post title - Shrimpton & Chanel, over at her blog Atlantis Home. my first reaction was that somehow those two words just seem so magical together - don't you agree?

My second reaction was to ask myself why did I not think to style that dress with another brocade like Judy has?
Doesn't it look fantastic?
Judy is the perfect client - she has terrific taste, is the nicest person you could e-meet and she looks damn good in my treasures :-)

There is a funny thing about this dress.

Its Malcolm Starr and I actually have its twin in my own closet. I had it for years and have worn it a few times when I wanted that to do that whole "ladies who lunch" look. Then around Christmas I got a box from one of my New York Buyers and there was the twin!

That is the one Judy now has.

And here is the really weird thing
I work with another girl in the US, that sends me a piece or two here and there, and she just found one of these. So I have yet another one coming my way and some other fabulous girl will soon have a shot to be the third dress triplet along with Judy and I!

Isn't that the strangest thing?

In all my years of collecting vintage I have never, ever, ever came across three of the same dress. Now I realize that in the 1960s and 1970s mass production was in full effect (though runs would be hundreds or at best thousands, not the MILLIONS that mass production means now), but even if there where a thousand of these made, what are the chances of having three go through your hands as a dealer 30 odd years later?
I don't think it will ever happen again!
I think that makes all three somewhat magical!

PS

If you do happen to have this same dress tucked away in your closet - please heed this word of warning - do NOT dry clean the belt - the fabric will fall off. This holds true of most vintage fabric belts actually - the fabric is often partial sewn and then glued. Modern dry cleaning will dissolve that glue. I know because that is what happened to Judy's belt right before I sent it. So Judy actually has MY belt while hers sits atop my "To fix" pile.

UPDATE

In Judy's post she had included this picture

This is also a Malcolm Starr piece and ironically, the girl who bought it reads Judy's blog and spotted it right away! So the lovely Marguerite sent a pic of herself in HER Malcolm Starr for me to share!